Zakariya Mohammed, an ex-convict, says he earns over N150,000 monthly from the shoemaking trade he started in the past five months.
He learnt bag and shoemaking skills while serving a term at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Billiri, Gombe State.
Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Friday that his life is now meaningful as an ex-convict.
The skill, he said, empowers him to fend for his needs and that of his family as he rakes in between N5,000 and N7,000 daily, depending on patronage.
According to him, the price of a pair of his handmade shoes ranges between N1,000 and N3,000, while the bags go for between N700 and N2,500, depending on its size and quality.
Mohammed said he also made money from amending and redesigning shoes, adding that he made good savings from the trade.
Narrating his story, Mohammed, 26, who had no skills prior to his conviction, described his incarceration as a “blessing”.
He said: “When I was sent to the correctional centre, I became so sad because I thought my life was finished.
“For some days upon my arrival, I was always thinking and frustrated on how I will spend years in the correctional facility serving my sentence.
“Until one day that Mr. Christopher Jen, the then Deputy Controller in charge of the facility, approached me and encouraged me to take one of the several skill acquisition programmes of my choice.
“Thank God, I joined and I started learning shoemaking and after completing the training, I moved further to learn how to make bags.
“I spent two years and six months there.
“I was released in June 2023 and opened my shoe making shop and today I am making my own money.”
On how he was able to set up his business, Mohammed said it was with the support of his family members who were happy with the skill he acquired while in the correctional centre.
He said: “After my release, my family learnt that I had acquired skill while in the correctional centre, so they bought sewing and shoemaking machines and other materials for me to set up my shop.”
To ensure smooth running of the trade, Mohammed engaged 11 apprentices who are currently receiving training in bag and shoemaking.
He commended the Federal Government for introducing skill acquisition programmes in correctional centres while appealing for support for ex-inmates who acquired various skills to enable them to set up businesses and become self-reliant.
He added: “This will ensure that they don’t go back to crime or drugs.
“I am now too occupied to think of crime.
“All I think of now is how to satisfy my customers.”
NAN
